I love vintage illustrations..found this one looking for images of pomegranate. The illustrator is Otto Wilhelm, 1885. I never knew pomegranates had such beautiful flowers. This time of year they are one of my very favorite snacks. I’ll be sad when they disappear from the produce section some time next month.

Snacks, oh how you have changed. I was just thinking the other day how snacks have assumed a totally different role in my diet. Pre-Paleo snacks were something that I used to console myself, fill in for meals when I was too busy to stop and make something healthy to eat, or when I planned poorly and ended up starving and roaming the aisles in a convenience store for something to keep me from falling over. Snacks are now something I plan into my daily meals and use to maintain my blood glucose levels. Might not be Super Bowl commercial material, but it works for me.

In order to maintain my blood glucose levels, I find I need to eat about 6 times per day. It does make me seem somewhat focused on food when I have to think about eating 6 different times in a day, but once you establish recipes and menu plans it really isn’t that bad.

My go to list for snacks includes the following:

tree nuts..almonds, cashews being at the top of the list

fresh fruit..this time of year pomegranate is my very favorite, but berries are always a big hit with me too. Pineapple, mango and bananas are great if you prefer sweeter fruits. Dates are also very sweet

Fresh veggies..I’m a big fan of cutting up veggies for grab and go snacking.

Beef jerky-making your own is the best bet as most contain preservatives

Perrier with lime or lemon or fresh berries

Olives-I just ADORE olives

Almond butter or cashew butter..I recently found a great Colorado company called Radiantly Raw..check them out on FB. Their vanilla cashew butter is fantastic AND they are nice people.

Lara Bars-great afternoon treat for me..they are great frozen!! Try not to overindulge though.

If you have a candy dish at work, just try this technique..walk by briskly and think about all the germs in the bowl from people sticking their hands in it..luckily for me the one at work here has chocolate in it and I’ve never been a fan of chocolate. If, however, we had a block of cheese or an open bag of chips available I might have to exert a little more will power. I think most people are either in the sugar or the salt category when it comes to snacks. On Whole30, we are taught to break those patterns and learn to eat simply to eat and not to fulfill cravings. I find it’s easier to break old patterns when I do maintain my blood glucose levels and stay properly hydrated.